We've received the results of a Dell's 1105 Media's Government Information Group survey of U.S. Federal IT decision maker survey about Windows 7 adoption. The results are eye opening:

• 72% report their organizations did not adopt Vista - not a surprise to us; in fact, I would estimate this percentage is even higher across the public sector;
• Of those planning to migrate to Windows 7, 60% say they'll make the move in six months or more - We will undoubtedly see consumers migrate first, then the private sector. Budget cycles and approvals will likely force the public sector to lag a bit;
• Another 60% of those who expect to migrate will do so in alignment with a refresh of their client systems - we've found that laptops running Windows 7 last up to 85% longer and boot up 29% faster than the last generation of systems running Windows XP.

Overall, responses indicate that several factors could impact Windows 7 adoption in the Federal sector:

• First off, the need for management approval and time associated with adhering to proper procedures;
• Secondly, the need to align with equipment upgrades and network infrastructure needs;
• Finally, the need to consider additional upgrades, such as power savings and software optimization.

As the top provider of IT to the U.S. public sector, we've worked closely with Federal customers to identify the best path to maximize budgets and upgrade their IT infrastructures.  Our latest response is a new set of services that will make Windows 7 migration easier, more secure and cost efficient.

The new offerings are rooted in part in our experience as the only OEM to participate jointly with Microsoft in supporting mutual customers in their Technology Adoption Program for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2.

We're looking forward to Thursday's launch and to helping bring Windows 7 - with better applications, drivers, faster boot times, security and quick online capabilities - to our public-sector customers worldwide.